"The Dynamic Nature of Being a Person": An Ethnographic Study of People Living With Dementia in Their Communities

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

A dementia diagnosis can affect social interactions. This study aims to understand how people living with dementia act as social beings within everyday interactions in their local communities.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

Focused ethnography informed by Spradley's approach to data collection and analysis. Observations in community spaces.

RESULTS

Twenty-nine observations were undertaken in everyday social settings with 11 people with dementia who were part of a longitudinal interview study. Data consisted of 40 hr of observation, and researcher field notes. The overarching theme "the dynamic nature of being a person" encapsulates participants' exhibited experiences in negotiating to attain and sustain an acknowledged place in their communities. Two subthemes characterized contexts and actions: (1) "Being me-not dementia": Participants constructed narratives to assert their ontological presence in social settings. They and others used strategies to mediate cognitive changes evidencing dementia. (2) "Resisting or acquiescing to 'being absent in place'": Participants were often able to resist being absent to the gaze from others, but some social structures and behaviors led to a person being "in place," yet not having their presence confirmed.

DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS

People living with dementia can actively draw on personal attributes, familiar rituals, objects, and social roles to continue to present themselves as social beings. Identifying how postdiagnosis people may self-manage cognitive changes to retain their presence as a person can help health and social care practitioners and families collaborate with the person living with dementia enabling them to have a continued social presence.

Clustering digital learning pathway preferences from the perspectives of epistemic justification on self-regulated learning, social presence, and resources

The beliefs about knowledge and knowing have a decisive effect on students' digital learning. Merely using self-reported questionnaire to investigate people's epistemic justifications about digital learning is incomprehension and has its methodological limitations. Therefore, this study used an explanatory sequential design, i.e., clustering followed by content analysis and affective comparisons, to explore people's preference, epistemic justifications, and affective perceptions on digital learning pathways. First, a latent class analysis was conducted to categorise 201 survey participants based on their preferences towards seven types of digital learning pathways. Four clusters were identified. Second, we conducted thematic analysis, relational content analysis and affective analysis on sixteen participants' digital learning experiences. Based on the framework of Internet-based epistemic belief, self-regulated learning, and community of inquiry, three dimensions of digital learning justification were identified, which mutually impact on one another. Furthermore, interviewees' affective perceptions in different clusters were compared, showing different patterns regarding the three dimensions above. These differences informed digital learning designers on instructional designs, teachers' selection of digital learning tools, and policy makers on promoting professional development for digital literacy improving.

Teachers' and students' perceptions of a sense of community in blended education

Universities have renewed interest in blended learning in preparation for post-COVID education. However, unsatisfactory social interactions hinder the quality of blended learning, despite its potential for flexible and personalized learning. In this situation, a sense of community would provide essential academic and social benefits. To develop a sense of community among students, we need to further understand students' and teachers' perceptions concerning this subject by exploring their experiences in blended learning. Therefore, we investigated this for three blended courses using a qualitative case study approach. We conducted: (1) classroom observation; (2) document analysis of course content, assignments, and assessments; and (3) individual interviews with teachers (n = 3) and group interviews with students (n = 18). The results showed the main factors that appeared to contribute to sense of community: group learning activities within courses, non-academic and extracurricular activities across courses, and the campus as a physical place integrating academic and social life after COVID. Further, we identified two obstacles: students valued group learning but struggled to manage group dynamics, and despite teachers' efforts to encourage learning autonomy, students viewed teachers as the ultimate authority in the learning process, which strained the student-teacher relationship. Additionally, this study revealed the limitations that digital tools have for promoting sense of community, as students questioned whether these tools have added value for supporting intricate and in-depth conversations. Finally, based on these findings, we provided practical recommendations for the future development of sense of community in blended learning.

Modelling the role of learner presence within the community of inquiry framework to determine online course satisfaction in distance education

This study sought to investigate the nuances in predictive relationships existing among teaching presence, cognitive presence and social presence as well as learner presence in the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework towards online course satisfaction. The study is necessitated by the deficiency of current literature in providing information on the nuances in interaction among the three original presences and learner presence, prior to the final determination of online course satisfaction. Thus, the study adopted a survey design and collected data via a questionnaire from 347 postgraduate students on an online database course. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling was used to validate a definite model on the predictive relationships existing among teaching presence, cognitive presence, social presence, learner presence and online course satisfaction. Results from the structural model analysis proved a statistically significant predictive relationship between learner presence and the three other presences (i.e. cognitive presence, social presence and teaching presence). Other relationships established include social presence and cognitive presence; social presence and teaching presence. Finally, online course satisfaction was predicted by social presence and teaching presence. Based on the findings it was recommended that institutions that offer online courses should device concrete strategies that promote social presence and teaching presence since these variables are precursors to online course satisfaction. Finally, the design of online courses should be effective and learner-centred to attract the learner since learner presence determines all the other three 'presences' in online learning environment.

Transforming standard pedagogy because of the COVID-19 pandemic: how social presence could establish and apply Watson's theory within the virtual classroom

Social distancing requirements during the Covid-19 pandemic have made virtual teaching the only means available whereby students' health can be protected as they continue their education. Two key areas to be addressed for those seeking to teach effectively online are - establishing social presence and building from that to extend care toward learners. This paper examines practical ways in which these aims may be achieved, and will hopefully promote the debate and sharing of strategies and pedagogy between nursing educators.

Engaged learning during distraction: a case study of successful working moms in distance education

Adult learners are a significant proportion of distance learners and many of these students are working mothers. Several instructional design models center the learner, and this requires understanding the learner needs, strengths, and context. There is a gap in the literature describing the experience of modern working mother students in distance education. To understand this experience, the researchers interviewed and observed six academically high-achieving working mother students as they participated in their distance education courses during the pandemic. A discourse analysis approach was utilized to analyze the data. This extreme sample revealed several strategies that these students used to be successful despite their challenges. The findings suggest that understanding the experiences of distance learners as they study in the home are important for effective course design. More specifically, working mothers face significant distractions in their study environments, but the cognitive load can be reduced by making use of their prior knowledge, scaffolding instruction, and encouraging social presence. Additional strategies from the literature that address these constructs are provided for instructors and instructional designers.

Exploring users' content creation and information dissemination behavior in social media: The moderating effect of social presence

Users' personality traits reveal different social media behavior characteristics. In order to explore the intrinsic relationships between personality traits and social media behavior, this study analyzes the influence of users' personality traits on social media content creation and information dissemination behavior, as well as the moderating effect of social presence. We collect users' personality data via questionnaires, crawl social media behavior data of samples from social media sites, and then establish regression models to test the research hypotheses. The results show that extraversion has a positive impact on content creation and information dissemination behavior, conscientiousness has a negative impact on content creation behavior, openness and agreeableness have no significant impact on social media behavior, and social presence has significant moderating effects on the relationships between personality traits and social media behavior.

Comparing instructional strategies to support student teachers' learning to prepare an open-minded citizenship education lesson

Open-mindedness is defined as one's willingness and ability to consider opposing beliefs and perspectives and give them a serious, impartial consideration by setting aside one's commitment towards one's own beliefs and perspectives. Learning to prepare and teach open-minded lessons is a crucial skill for student teachers because it fosters an atmosphere in which pupils feel free to express their own views and to learn about the views of others. The aim of this experiment was to examine which instructional strategy best supports student teachers' learning to prepare an open-minded citizenship education lesson. Therefore, participants (n = 176) processed an instruction on how to prepare an open-minded citizenship education lesson through learning by teaching on video, preparing to teach, or re-study (control condition), and as a post-test designed a lesson plan. We examined the completeness and accuracy of the explanations of the instructional content, feelings of social presence and arousal, open-mindedness levels, the completeness and accuracy of the lesson plans, and the conceptual knowledge of the instructional content. In addition, the lesson plans were graded on overall quality. Results showed that all participants scored higher on open-mindedness as measured with the Actively Open-minded Thinking scale after the experiment than before the experiment. Participants in the control condition prepared significantly more accurate and complete open-minded lessons than participants in the other two conditions, suggesting they have gained better understanding of the instructional content. There were no significant differences between the conditions on the other outcome measures.

Online collaborative learning and cognitive presence in mathematics and science education. Case study of university of Rwanda, college of education

This study aims to investigate how online collaboration can support the learning of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in higher education. Empirical data were collected from 88 postgraduate students studying at the African Centre of Excellence for Innovative Teaching Learning Mathematics and Science (ACEITLMS) using online oral interviews and two five-point Likert scale questionnaires. Interviews were analysed through content analysis while data from the questionnaire were scanned through the Statistical Package for Social Scientists (SPSS) to compute descriptive statistics and Spearman rho correlation coefficient. The findings indicate that online collaborative learning through small group discussions prompt knowledge co-construction, and higher-order thinking skills in STEM subjects. Moreover, the findings demonstrate how several electronic multimedia tools (PhET simulations, animations, YouTube videos) can increase student retention and engagement in learning STEM. Though the students reported that they experienced challenges such as poor internet connection, lack of laboratory work, electricity shortage, and limited ICT skills, they managed to complete STEM learning activities by using free virtual laboratories, portable tethering hotspots from their smartphones, and smartphones where power was a problem and learnt the navigation of ICT tools from their peers. The study found moderate positive Spearman rho correlation coefficient,r s = 0.69 , P < 0.01 which explains that 69% of the total variance in the students' successful performance is explained by the two variables, i.e., social and cognitive presence. The study recommends more training for course instructors and students. Efforts should be put in place to focus on ICT manipulation and curating interactive content. The researchers acclaim the expansion of internet coverage in University of Rwanda campuses. This action will enhance online and blended learning. Moreover, the study recommends the integration of ICT and the use of multimedia tools such as Bio-interactive and Physics Education Technology (PhET) interactive simulations in STEM subjects as supplementary resources. These tools support cognitive and affective domains in the teaching and learning process. Furthermore, universities can reduce the problem of expensive and inadequate laboratory equipment by adopting the use of virtual laboratories, especially for online STEM lessons.

Ecological aspects of online learning in higher education: a qualitative multi-level exploration in a developing country

Using 22 undergraduate business students' online learning experiences during the COVID-19 lockdown in Pakistan (as the pandemic was the only time these students were enrolled as online students in Pakistan), this study demonstrates that online learning is a multi-level phenomenon and a practice situated within the environment. Despite online learning being a heavily researched area, research has under-examined the interaction of the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework with the context. By adopting an ecological perspective, and by examining the interaction of micro, meso, and macro levels, this qualitative research provides useful insights into the interaction of the individual (micro-level) captured through the CoI framework, with the broader environment in which learners are located (meso and macro levels). It contributes to research on online learning broadly, and the CoI framework specifically, by revealing that each element of the CoI framework (micro-level), is influenced by macro (developing country), as well as meso (institutional policies and institutional preparedness) levels. It also spotlights the negotiated relationship between the individual and the systemic forces. The findings of this study are particularly relevant given that online education has the potential to become a norm in higher education in developing countries.

Social presence for strategic health messages: An examination of state governments' use of Twitter to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic

Scholars investigated the role of social presence theory in numerous communication contexts. However, we have limited knowledge about the impact of social presence strategies on public attention during a pandemic. This study fills this gap by investigating the connections between social presence strategies, Covid-19 strategies, and public attention. Twitter data of state governments from January 21, 2020 to July 21, 2020 were downloaded for this study. Content analysis of 1500 randomly selected posts revealed that social presence strategies were effective in generating public attention on Twitter. Furthermore, expressing appreciation, providing guidance, and informing the publics about governments' actions generated public attention. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Using chatbots to support student goal setting and social presence in fully online activities: learner engagement and perceptions

Although fully online learning is now the 'new normal' in many parts of the world, its implementation is often beset by challenges such as the lack of student self-regulation, and the sense of isolation. In this paper, we explored the use of chatbots to support student goal setting (Study 1) and social presence (Study 2) in online activities. In Study 1, participants in a fully online course were invited to complete a goal setting activity prior to attending class via a goal-setting chatbot. The chatbot engaged participants with five questions developed based on the SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely) goal setting framework. In Study 2, English-as-Foreign-Language participants in a fully online course were tasked to complete listening practices. The learning buddy chatbot was designed based on the social presence framework (interpersonal communication, open communication, cohesive communication) to guide students through listening exercises. In both Study 1 and 2, we evaluated participants' behavioral engagement by measuring their conversation records with the chatbots, as well as participants' perceived usefulness and ease of use of the chatbots. We also gathered in-depth interview data concerning the participants' perceptions of interacting with the chatbots. Overall, our findings found positive learner experiences with both chatbots with regard to the chatbots' perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use. We also provided suggestions for instructors to apply chatbots in teaching and learning.

A Twitter-facilitated professional learning community: online participation, connectedness, and satisfaction

BACKGROUND

Twitter has gained increasing popularity and attention as a professional learning environment to share knowledge, exchange information, make connections, and build networks. To evaluate the effectiveness of Twitter-facilitated online discussions, a community of inquiry framework could be used with the three key elements of online environments: cognitive presence, social presence, and teaching presence. This study aims to explore how medical educators participate in synchronous online discussions on Twitter using #MedEdChat, and how participants' perceptions toward the three presences, sense of connectedness and interactions influenced their online satisfaction.

METHODS

A survey invitation was emailed using the medical education email list DR-ED and was posted during the weekly Twitter conversations in December 2020, to solicit participants who have been involved in any kind of #MedEdChat activities (i.e., read transcripts or directly participate in discussions).

RESULTS

A total of 68 people responded. Through descriptive analysis and path analysis, we found that almost half of the survey respondents were lurkers on #MedEdChat who read others' tweets or transcripts. In addition, participants mainly used Twitter for resource sharing, collaborating with others, and networking. Participants rated teaching (i.e., moderator) presence the highest, followed by overall satisfaction, cognitive presence, sense of connectedness, social presence, and interactions. Among them, sense of connectedness and cognitive presence were significantly associated with participants' overall satisfaction.

CONCLUSIONS

This study provided significant implications for using Twitter as a professional learning community to conduct online discussion activities. Facilitators could think of ways to improve participation by providing tutorials on how to participate on Twitter discussions, introduce or ask new participants to introduce themselves, facilitate discussion with intriguing questions, and invite medical educators of different roles as well as medical students and residents to join to bring in diverse perspectives.

Extending social presence theory: social presence divergence and interaction integration in online distance learning

Social presence is an important concept for understanding psychosocial processes in learning scenarios that make extensive use of mediated communication like online distance learning. Despite this centrality, a coherent and nuanced theory of social presence is yet to emerge from the literature. Past research has shown associations with desirable affective variables like satisfaction and perceived learning, yet our knowledge as to when and for whom these effects are expected is still very limited. By introducing two contextual explanatory variables, we provide the means toward a more mature theory of social presence. The first variable, social presence divergence, relates students experiences to their preferences, yielding three distinct scenarios: too little, too much, and just the right amount of social presence. The second variable, interaction integration, considers the centrality of social interaction in the learning scenario, suggesting that this functions as a moderator. In a sample of teacher education students (N = 305), we find evidence that these variables interact with social presence and affective dependent variables as expected. These results add nuance and context to the discussion about the practical relevance of social presence. The implications of these findings as well as limitations of this study are discussed.

The Effect of Social Presence on Mentalizing Behavior

Our behavior is frequently influenced by those around us. However, the majority of social cognition research is conducted using socially isolated paradigms, without the presence of real people (i.e., without a "social presence"). The current study aimed to test the influence of social presence upon a measure of mentalizing behavior in adults. Study 1 used a first-order theory of mind task; and study 2 used a second-order theory of mind task. Both studies included two conditions: live, where the task protagonists were physically present acting out the task, or recorded, where the same task protagonists demonstrated the task in a video recording. In both experiments, participants were affected by the social presence and demonstrated significantly different patterns of behavior in response to the presence of real people. This study, therefore, highlights the critical importance of understanding the effect of a social presence in mentalizing research, and suggests that the inclusion of a social presence needs to be given strong consideration across social cognition paradigms.

Choice Matters More with Others: Choosing to be with Other People is More Consequential to Well-Being than Choosing to be Alone

Stable social relationships are conducive to well-being. However, similar effects are not reported consistently for daily social interactions in affecting episodic (experiential) subjective well-being (ESWB). The present investigation suggests that the choice of being in a social context plays an important moderating role, such that social interactions increase ESWB only if taken place by one's choice. Moreover, it is argued that choice matters more in a social context than in an alone context because experiences with others are amplified. These ideas were tested and supported in two studies: An experiment that manipulated social context and choice status, and a 10-day experience-sampling study, which explored these variables in real-life settings. Results showed that being with others by one's choice had the strongest positive association with ESWB, sense of meaning, and control, whereas being with others not by one's choice-the strongest negative association with ESWB. Effects of being alone on ESWB also varied by choice status, but to a lesser extent. The findings offer theoretical and practical insights into the effects of the social environment on well-being.

Social TV viewing during the COVID-19 lockdown: The mediating role of social presence

The COVID-19 lockdown has transformed the way of life for many people. One key change is media intake, as many individuals reported an increase in media consumption during the COVID-19 lockdown. Specifically, social media and television usage increased. In this regard, the present study examines social TV viewing, the simultaneous use of watching TV while communicating with others about the TV content on various communication technologies, during the COVID-19 lockdown. An online survey was conducted to collect data from college students in the United States during the COVID-19 lockdown. Primary results indicate that different motives predict different uses of communication platforms for social TV engagement, such as public platforms, text-based private platforms, and video-based private platforms. Specifically, the social motive significantly predicts social TV engagement on most of the platforms. Further, the study finds that social presence of virtual co-viewers mediates the relationship between social TV engagement and social TV enjoyment. Overall, the study's findings provide a meaningful understanding of social TV viewing when physical social gatherings are restricted.

[Successful knowledge exchange in virtual teams-how important is social presence?]

Erfolgreicher Wissensaustausch ist ein zentraler Prozess für den Erfolg virtueller Teams. Damit gehen spezifische Herausforderungen einher. Die verwendete Informations- und Kommunikationstechnologien, die räumliche Trennung und der mangelnde persönliche Kontakt der Teammitglieder erschweren den Austausch von Wissen.

Die Forschung zu Einflussfaktoren auf Wissensaustausch in virtuellen Umgebungen fokussiert zumeist rein technische oder soziale Faktoren. Dagegen kaum beachtet ist die Rolle der sozialen Präsenz als interdisziplinäres Konstrukt. Soziale Präsenz meint das subjektive Erleben eines Zusammengehörigkeitsgefühls trotz physischer Distanz, das in der Interaktion zwischen den Nutzern und der vorhandenen Technologie entsteht.

Die vorliegende Studie untersuchte, inwieweit das Erleben sozialer Präsenz den Erfolg virtuellen Wissensaustausches beeinflusst. Basierend auf der Critical Incident Technique wurden 26 Interviews mit Mitgliedern virtueller Teams geführt. Die Teilnehmenden schilderten Situationen, in denen der virtuelle Wissensaustausch erfolgreich oder nicht erfolgreich war.

Die Auswertung zeigt, dass soziale Präsenz häufiger in erfolgreichen Situationen auftrat. Das weist darauf hin, dass deren Erleben wichtig für erfolgreichen Wissensaustausch ist.

Praktische Relevanz: Soziale Präsenz kann durch Medienreichhaltigkeit, Unterstützung sozialer Prozesse und Beziehungen in virtuellen Teams positiv beeinflusst werden. Aus den Ergebnissen lassen sich somit Implikationen für die Gestaltung, Moderation und Führung virtueller Zusammenarbeit ableiten.

Psychological benefits of using social virtual reality platforms during the covid-19 pandemic: The role of social and spatial presence

Social virtual reality (VR) platforms are an emergent phenomenon, with growing numbers of users utilizing them to connect with others while experiencing feelings of presence (“being there”). This article examines the associations between feelings of presence and the activities performed by users, and the psychological benefits obtained in terms of relatedness, self-expansion, and enjoyment, in the context of the covid-19 pandemic. The results of a survey conducted among users (N = 220) indicate that feelings of spatial presence predict these three outcomes, while social presence predicts relatedness and enjoyment, but not self-expansion. Socialization activities like meeting friends in VR are associated with relatedness and enjoyment, while playful and creative activities allow for self-expansion. Moreover, the perceived impact of social distancing measures was associated with an increase in use, suggesting the utility of these platforms to help users meeting particularly frustrated psychological needs. These results provide a first quantitative account of the potential positive effects of social VR platforms on users’ wellbeing and encourage further research on the topic.

Investigating Students' Perceptions of Screencasting Style of Video Feedback in Online Courses

Feedback is an essential part of the learning process. Asynchronous online courses are marked by an abundance of text-based feedback. Yet, video feedback in asynchronous online courses is a nascent field of inquiry. This study investigated student perceptions of screencasting style of video feedback in online courses. During this course, students received video feedback from their instructor, and provided and received video feedback to their peers. A total of 84 graduate students completed an end-of-course survey between 2018 and 2020 that focused in part on student satisfaction and perceived learning with video feedback and overall perceptions of social presence. Results indicate students were satisfied with receiving video feedback, that video feedback contributed to their perceived learning, and that perceptions of social presence were comparable to previous research. Limitations and implications for practice are discussed.

Evaluating online learning engagement of nursing students

BACKGROUND

Previous studies suggest that increased learning satisfaction may encourage learning engagement in an online learning environment.

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the level of learning engagement and its relationship with students' perceived learning satisfaction in an online clinical nursing elective course.

DESIGN

A prospective interventional study.

SETTINGS

A nursing course was converted to an online format because of the coronavirus disease COVID pandemic.

PARTICIPANTS

Part-time post-registration nursing undergraduates enrolled in an elective online clinical course.

METHODS

Related teaching and learning strategies were deployed in the course using the Community of Inquiry framework. All students who completed the course were invited to complete an online survey that included a validated Online Student Engagement questionnaire (OSE). Pearson's correlations were used to determine the association between perceived learning satisfaction and learning engagement. A logistic regression model was used to explore the associations of gender, age, working experience and perceived learning satisfaction with higher learning engagement.

RESULTS

The questionnaires were completed by 56 of 68 students (82%). The Pearson's correlation coefficient between the mean perceived learning satisfaction and OSE scores was 0.75 (p < .001). Twenty-five students (45%) were identified as highly engaged, using a cut-off of ≥3.5 for the mean OSE score. The mean perceived learning satisfaction (SD) score differed significantly between highly engaged and not highly engaged students [4.02 (0.49) vs. 3.27 (0.62), p < .001]. The logistic regression model showed that a greater perceived learning satisfaction [adjusted odds ratio (OR): 17.2, 95% C.I.: 3.46-86.0, p = .001] was associated with an increased likelihood of higher learning engagement, and >1 year of working experience (adjusted OR: 0.11, 95% C.I.: 0.01-0.89, p = .0039) was associated with a decreased likelihood of higher learning engagement.

CONCLUSIONS

The study findings suggest that perceived learning satisfaction predicts learning engagement among nursing students in this online learning course.

A Reflection on Special Challenges and Amending Pedagogy in Clinical Social Work Practice Courses During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many social work students and educators had to switch gears quickly and replace face-to-face courses with online delivery. While most had had experience with remote learning, the unexpected and immediate transition was challenging. Students and educators who had chosen in-person instruction had to adapt quickly to a learning paradigm for which they had not planned, while simultaneously coping with the anxieties brought on by the pandemic, such as economic hardships, threat of illness, and new family responsibilities. The pandemic has engendered fear, trauma, grief, and loss, all of which negatively affect instruction and learning. This reflection paper identifies special challenges and issues with regard to teaching and learning in social work clinical practice courses brought on by the pandemic. Utilizing the theoretical frameworks of ambiguous loss, interpersonal neurobiology, and the here and now approach, this paper suggests effective teaching methods and collaborative learning strategies to inform social work education during academic disruption in this and future emergencies (e.g., natural disasters). It is suggested that social presence, as well as group cohesion among students and between students and instructors, can serve as a protective factor to ensure continued productive motivation for teaching and learning while facing the challenges that are experienced during such times.

"We are much closer here": exploring the use of WhatsApp as a learning environment in a secondary school mathematics class

In this study, we examined a mathematics teacher's communicative acts on an instant messaging tool, WhatsApp, and its role in creating a sustained learning environment between secondary-school students and a teacher in Turkey. The interactions of a mathematics teacher and his students (n = 38) over two years were explored. The WhatsApp group increased interaction in out-of-school hours. Analysis of the teacher's communicative acts was the leading force that encouraged the group to continue to interact. The teacher portrayed an informal and sincere presentation of himself on social media. A constructive communication style between teacher and students was fostered by connecting through WhatsApp in out-of-school hours, when the teacher's informal communicative acts have facilitated their learning.

Socio-interactive practices and personality within an EFL online learning environments

A primary effort within the literature addresses the needs in acclimatizing dynamic, student-driven instruction to conceive a significantly enhanced online learning environment. This study serves to examine the relationship, if any, between student characteristics (introversion and extraversion) and contribution in the online writing environment (social presence) and their sense of class community in online writing courses. The research was undertaken in a public university in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), examining a sample (N = 171, 36 males and 135 females) of EFL male and female students. The results confirmed the ICT positive relationships between extraverted and introverted students with their social presence and sense of class community. These results reinforce the instructor's significant role in implementing and engaging students in learning experiences that can address the need for different types of students (e.g., extraverts, introverts) and enhance their interaction through online platforms. The study further calls for developing pedagogically sound approaches to shift away from instructor-fed to student-centered online learning that incorporates instructors' facilitation, constructive and continuous feedback, and clear guidance. It further urges the utilization of sociopsychological methods to address individual differences, especially in online learning.

Social modulation of on-screen looking behaviour

While passive social information (e.g. pictures of people) routinely draws one's eyes, our willingness to look at live others is more nuanced. People tend not to stare at strangers and will modify their gaze behaviour to avoid sending undesirable social signals; yet they often continue to monitor others covertly "out of the corner of their eyes." What this means for looks that are being made near to live others is unknown. Will the eyes be drawn towards the other person, or pushed away? We evaluate changes in two elements of gaze control: image-independent principles guiding how people look (e.g. biases to make eye movements along the cardinal directions) and image-dependent principles guiding what people look at (e.g. a preference for meaningful content within a scene). Participants were asked to freely view semantically unstructured (fractals) and semantically structured (rotated landscape) images, half of which were located in the space near to a live other. We found that eye movements were horizontally displaced away from a visible other starting at 1032 ms after stimulus onset when fractals but not landscapes were viewed. We suggest that the avoidance of looking towards live others extends to the near space around them, at least in the absence of semantically meaningful gaze targets.

Video feedback: is it worth the effort? A response to Borup et al

It is easier than ever to provide video feedback. Research has shown that video feedback, among other things, can help increase conversational and affective communication. However, research also suggests that despite its benefits, instructors and students might prefer text-based feedback. The following paper responds to research by Borup, West, and Thomas (Educ Technol Res Dev 63(2): 161-184. 10.1007/s11423-015-9367-8, 2015), describes the value of their research, how it can be applied, some limitations, and future areas of research in a time where colleges are shifting to digital.

It Takes More Than a Good Camera: Which Factors Contribute to Differences Between Face-to-Face Interviews and Videoconference Interviews Regarding Performance Ratings and Interviewee Perceptions?

Due to technological progress, videoconference interviews have become more and more common in personnel selection. Nevertheless, even in recent studies, interviewees received lower performance ratings in videoconference interviews than in face-to-face (FTF) interviews and interviewees held more negative perceptions of these interviews. However, the reasons for these differences are unclear. Therefore, we conducted an experiment with 114 participants to compare FTF and videoconference interviews regarding interview performance and fairness perceptions and we investigated the role of social presence, eye contact, and impression management for these differences. As in other studies, ratings of interviewees' performance were lower in the videoconference interview. Differences in perceived social presence, perceived eye contact, and impression management contributed to these effects. Furthermore, live ratings of interviewees' performance were higher than ratings based on recordings. Additionally, videoconference interviews induced more privacy concerns but were perceived as more flexible. Organizations should take the present results into account and should not use both types of interviews in the same selection stage.

Language comprehension in the social brain: Electrophysiological brain signals of social presence effects during syntactic and semantic sentence processing

Although, evolutionarily, language emerged predominantly for social purposes, much has yet to be uncovered regarding how language processing is affected by social context. Social presence research studies the ways in which the presence of a conspecific affects processing, but has yet to be thoroughly applied to language processes. The principal aim of this study was to see how syntactic and semantic language processing might be subject to mere social presence effects by studying Event-Related brain Potentials (ERP). In a sentence correctness task, participants read sentences with a semantic or syntactic anomaly while being either alone or in the mere presence of a confederate. Compared to the alone condition, the presence condition was associated with an enhanced N400 component and a more centro-posterior LAN component (interpreted as an N400). The results seem to imply a boosting of heuristic language processing strategies, proper of lexico-semantic operations, which actually entails a shift in the strategy to process morphosyntactic violations, typically based on algorithmic or rule-based strategies. The effects cannot be related to increased arousal levels. The apparent enhancement of the activity in the precuneus while in presence of another person suggests that the effects conceivably relate to social cognitive and attentional factors. The present results suggest that understanding language comprehension would not be complete without considering the impact of social presence effects, inherent to the most natural and fundamental communicative scenarios.

The role of subject presence type on student motivation in a PBL learning environment

Students have been observed as underprepared or skipping steps during the problem-based learning (PBL) process due to fatigue or low motivation, potentially creating a barrier for effective learning. One way to explore resolving this issue is to consider whether variables of problem scenario design can be altered to optimize motivation. This mixed method study considered the impact of presentation modality of the PBL problem subject (i.e., the key character involved in the problem) on student motivation within the context of Speech and Voice Science curricula for forty-six undergraduate students at a midwestern, US university. The frequency of verbal and non-verbal engagement behaviors was monitored during four consecutive PBL problems. The problems were designed to provide increasing levels of social presence and used varied case presentation modalities (e.g., paper, audio-visual, face to face). Although the frequency of engagement behaviors declined during the study and fatigue appeared to play a role, most students identified problems with combination of higher subject presence (i.e., audio-visual, face-to-face) and challenging content as motivating. Students were able to develop a sense of ownership and responsibility for their problem-solving efforts with a problem designed with direct interaction (i.e., face to face) with the problem subject. This study sheds light on the impact of affective problem features (e.g., emotion, personal psychological connection) on students' motivation in the presence of fatigue, which is often undervalued during the design of PBL modules.

Ambient awareness: From random noise to digital closeness in online social networks

Ambient awareness refers to the awareness social media users develop of their online network in result of being constantly exposed to social information, such as microblogging updates. Although each individual bit of information can seem like random noise, their incessant reception can amass to a coherent representation of social others. Despite its growing popularity and important implications for social media research, ambient awareness on public social media has not been studied empirically. We provide evidence for the occurrence of ambient awareness and examine key questions related to its content and functions. A diverse sample of participants reported experiencing awareness, both as a general feeling towards their network as a whole, and as knowledge of individual members of the network, whom they had not met in real life. Our results indicate that ambient awareness can develop peripherally, from fragmented information and in the relative absence of extensive one-to-one communication. We report the effects of demographics, media use, and network variables and discuss the implications of ambient awareness for relational and informational processes online.

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Ambient awareness: Browsing social media enhances familiarity with online networks.

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In 2 surveys, we provide evidence for ambient awareness among Twitter users.

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Frequent users experienced higher ambient awareness.

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Ambient awareness was reflected in knowledge of various domains, such as expertise.

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Ambient awareness was associated with perceptions of approachability.

Teaching interprofessional collaboration: using online education across institutions

Interdisciplinary courses among students in occupational therapy, physical therapy, and speech-language pathology are important for addressing teamwork, communication, and understanding of professional roles, especially in pre-service training for early intervention and school-based practice where collaboration is essential. Although interprofessional education (IPE) as a part of higher education in the health sciences has been strongly encouraged, IPE courses are difficult to schedule and implement. This article discusses the challenges of developing and delivering two IPE courses in an online format, specifically the innovation that addresses logistics, time factors, and social presence for the IPE courses across two institutions.